Electric railway-signal



(No Model.)

G. A. TOWER. ELEGTRIG RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

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(view/ye :Z 1970 1" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ARMES TOXVER, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGN AL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,222, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed .Tune 14, 1889. Serial Ne. 3l4 234. (No model.)

To ((,ZZ whom it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ARMES TOWER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the County of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful El'ec trio Railwayfiignal, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in electric railway-signals.

The object of the present invention is to produce a signal which will indicate to trains the presence of approaching trains by blowing the whistle of an engine, which blowing will continue until stopped by the engineers of the warned trains.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangenent of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the clains hereto appendcd.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view showing the improved apparatus applied to a railway-traek. Fig. 2 is a perspective View, partly in section, ot' the signal-operating device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the Signalsounding niechanism, and Fig. 4; is a detail View of the slide that carries the soft-iron cores.

Referring to the acconpanying drawings, A designates an L-shaped plate, which is secured to the side of the cow-catcher, which side may be either the right or the left hand side; but the position must be the same on all engines, and the said plate A has its horizontal arm provided with a spring aetuated rod B, sliding in keepers a and a'. The front end of the rod B has an eye b, to which is attached a cord C, that passes around a guidepulley C', and is designed to be connected to the lover which operates the whistle, whereby when the rod li, which is normally locked against movement, is released the cord O will be pulled and the whistle sounded. The rod B is provided intermediate of its ends with an annular fiange h', against which bears a spring D, which has its other end hearing against the keeper a. The rod is held against rearward movement and the spring D maintained compressed by a looking-bolt E, which is provided along its edges with lateral flanges e, that slide in suitable ways a ormed upon the plate A. The bolt is slotted near its lower end to provide an opening e', through which passes the rod when the bolt is raised, and the rod remains in that position until withdrawn by the engineer, it being designed to have a eord 0 extending from the cab and connected to the cord C for that purpose. The bolt E normally rests upon and is raised bya bar F,

which has its upperportion f cylindrical and its lower portion f' squared, and which slides in keepers (6 and a the foriner having a round opening to receive the cylindrieal portion f, and the latter being 'provided with a square opening to receive the lower portion of the bolt.

Around the cylindrical portion f, and between the keepers (0 and (1 is a spiral spring G, which bears against the upper keeper a and the shoulder of the bar formed by the squared portion and holds the bar F normally depressed. The lower endf is bifurcated and is provided with a roller f which causes the bar F to pass easily up the inclied sides hof a hinged plate Il. The plate H is hinged to the end of a metal box or casing I, and has pivoted to its free end a depending rod J, which is provided with a shoulder j, that is designed to be engaged by a slide K to hold the said plate H firnly in its normal position and cause its inclined sidcs h to eugage the bar F and blow the whistle. In order to keep the depending rod J approximately vertical, it has pivoted to its lower end a horizontal rod J which is pivot-ed to the side of the casing. The plate II is normally held elevated by a spring L, which is Secured to the casing I and bears against the under side of the plate II, and the said plate H may be depressed when the shoulder j is not engaged by the slide K to permit the bar F to pass without blowing the whistle. The slide K moves horizontally in suitable grooves in the casing I, and is provided with a longitudinal slot k,in which the vertical rod J works, and the said slide K has Secured to its ends soft-iron cores K', which are adapted to be attracted by helices M and M' to carry the slide into and out of engagement with the shoulder j of the vertical rod J. The wires m and m' leave the helices in opposite directions and are Secured to the rail and bars N on the opposite side of the track to which the casing is secured, whereby when a train passes the roller f 3 will engage the bar N, close the circuit, and cause the slide to be drawn into or out of cngage IOO ment with the shoulder j, according as the train is approaching or receding from the plate H.

In practice the batteries 0 will be arranged within the casing I; but for conveniencc of illustration they are shown separate from the casing, and each of the pairs of wires m and m' has one Wire attached to a rail and the other connected to a bar N, arranged beside the track, whereby when an engine passes by the roller f should the same be on the proper side, will come in contact with the bar N and close the circuit, the engine itself being in contact with the rail to which one wire is connected. The bar F and signal-sounding mechanism being arranged on one side of an engine-say the right-hand side--a train traveling in the direction of the-arrow and approaching the bar N will on reaching the bar N close the circuit and lock the plate H, and should another train be approaching in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow its signal-operating mechanism will come in contact with the locked plate H of the signal-operating mechanism, and the whistle will be blown and the engineer will be warned.

What I claim is 1. In a railway-signal, the combination of the plate A, the spring-actuated rod sliding in suitable keepers of the plate and designed to be connected with the whistle of a locomotive, the looking-bolt sliding in suitable ways and provided with an opening and capable of movement to bring the opening opposite the end of the bolt, and the bar arranged beneath the looking-bolt and operatin g the same, sulostantially as described.

2. The combination in a railway-signal, of the L-shaped plate having the keepers a and a' on one arm and the keepers a anda and the ways (0 on the Other arm, the spring-actuated rod arranged -in the keepers a and a', the looking-bolt sliding in the ways a and provided with an opening adapted to receive the rod, the `bar arranged in the keepers a and c# and provided with the roller f and the spring G, arranged between the keepers 60 and (0 and to hold the bar normally depressed, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-signal, the combination of the casing, the hin ged plate triangular in longitudinal section and provided with a depending rod, and a slide having` at its ends softiron cores and adapted to be drawn into and out of engagement with said rod by helices arranged at the ends of the slide, substantially as described.

4. In a railway-signal, the combination of the casing, the plate triangular in lon gitudinal section and hinged thereto, and having a depending rod provided with a shoulder, and the slide having the soft-iron cores and provided with a longitudinal slot to receive the depending rod, said slide being drawn into and out of engagement with the shoulder by helices arranged at each end of the slide, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-signal the' conbination of the casing, the hinged plate triangular in lon gitudinal section and provided with the depending rod J, the rod J', pivoted to the casing and the end of the rod J, the spring L, holding the plate normally elevated, the slide providedwith a central opening to receive the depending rod J and having at its ends softiron cores, and the helices arranged at each end of the slide and adapted to draw the latter into and out of engagement with the rod J, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed ny signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE ARMES TOWER.

W'itnesses:

A. BROCKENBROUGH, ISAAC S, TOWER. 

